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Letterman asks why we have to be "victimized" by Trump

He wants people to "stop whining" and take action

CNN  — 

David Letterman is tired of all the talk about President Trump’s incompetence. The former late night host wants to see some action.

“I know there’s trouble in this country and we need a guy who can fix that trouble,” Letterman told the Associated Press in an interview published this week. “I wish it was Trump, but it’s not, so let’s just stop whining about what a goon he is and figure out a way to take him aside and put him in a home.”

Related: ‘I’d like to apologize to Eric Trump’: Late night reacts to Donald Trump Jr.’s emails

Letterman, who retired in 2015 after 33 years of hosting “The Late Show With David Letterman,” is appearing in Funny or Die’s new digital series “Boiling the Frog with Senator Al Franken” in which the pair tackle the serious issue of climate change with a touch of humor.

The comedic duo is bound by their passion for politics and Letterman told AP he believes the country should be directing its energies at getting Trump out of office.

“And other people have made this point: If the guy was running Dairy Queen, he’d be gone,” Letterman said. “This guy couldn’t work at The Gap. So why do we have to be victimized by his fecklessness, his ignorance?”

Letterman and Trump go way back. The then private citizen and real estate mogul appeared on Letterman’s show multiple times.

Related: Letterman doesn’t regret hosting Trump on set

But as president, Letterman said Trump’s “behavior is insulting to Americans, whether you voted for him or not ” and he added “I feel bad for people who did vote for him because he promised them things that they really needed and one wonders if he’s really going to come through.”

Asked about the controversy surrounding comedian Kathy Griffin’s decision to pose with a fake severed head made to look like Trump, Letterman said he felt bad for her, but he would not have made that joke.

Related: Kathy Griffin: ‘I beg for your forgiveness’ for gruesome anti-Trump photo shoot

“I think and say things to my friends that are worse,” Letterman said. “But he’s so sensitive. He doesn’t understand why people aren’t nicer to him in the press and you just say, well, ‘Donnie, look at the tone of the campaign that you ran.’”